Jack Bruton

Infobox Football biography
playername = Jack Bruton
fullname = John Bruton


dateofbirth = 21 November 1903
cityofbirth = Westhoughton
countryofbirth = England
dateofdeath = death date and age|1986|3|13|1903|11|21|df=y
cityofdeath =
countryofdeath =
height =
currentclub =
clubnumber =
position = Winger
youthyears =
youthclubs =
years =1922-1923
1923-1924
1924-1925
1925-1929
1929-1939
1939
clubs = Wigan Borough
Bolton Wanderers
Horwich RMI Burnley
Blackburn Rovers
Preston North End
caps(goals) =000 00(0)
000 00(0)

167 0(42)
324 (108)
000 00(0)
nationalyears = 1928-1929
nationalteam = England
nationalcaps(goals) = 003 00(0)
pcupdate =
ntupdate =
manageryears = 1947-1949
1950-1956
managerclubs = Blackburn Rovers
Bournemouth

Jack Bruton (21 November 1903 – 13 March 1986) was a professional footballer and manager who spent the major part of his career in both capacities with Blackburn Rovers.

Playing career

Born in Westhoughton, near Bolton, he initially played as an amateur with Wigan Borough, Bolton Wanderers and Horwich RMI while working in the coal mines before signing for Burnley as a professional in 1925 - it was reported that he came up from the pit and signed professional forms on an overturned tub at the pit head. At Turf Moor he established himself as one of the best wingers in the country and won representative honours with the Football League team and three appearances for England.

He scored 44 times in 176 games for Burnley before becoming Blackburn Rovers' record £6,500 signing in December 1929. A maker of goals as well as a scorer, Bruton proved to be remarkably consistent during his playing career with Rovers. He scored 115 times in 344 appearances for Blackburn before moving on to Preston North End in 1939, although he was prevented from making any first team appearances for Preston as a result of the outbreak of World War II.

Management career

After the war he returned to Ewood Park as assistant trainer and assistant secretary. During manager Will Scott's absence through illness, Bruton took over the running of the club and on Scott's return was appointed assistant manager. He was the natural successor when Rovers' lack of consistency led to Scott finally vacating the manager's chair in December 1947. On taking control Bruton’s immediate aim was to avoid the team's relegation from Division 1, but nine defeats in the last ten games sealed the club's fate.

In an attempt to regain First Division status, Bruton signed Dennis Westcott, a proven goal-scorer from Wolves, and also unearthed an exciting prospect at left-back in the shape of Bill Eckersley. However, success proved just as elusive and after the club finished in fourteenth place in the Second Division, Bruton was summoned to a board meeting and dismissed in May 1949.

In 1950 he was appointed manager at Bournemouth playing in the Third Division South. He remained at Dean Court for 6 years before retiring in 1956, never having achieved any conspicuous success.

After retiring as a manager he continued as a scout for both Blackburn Rovers and Bournemouth and also for Portsmouth.

References

*soccerbase (manager)|653|Jack Bruton
*englandstats|id=174|name=Jack Bruton
* [http://www.englandfc.com/Profiles/php/PlayerProfileByName.php?id=174 England profile]

External links

* [http://blackburnrovers.rivals.net/default.asp?p=2&sid=903&stid=8011293 Article on Blackburn Rovers website]
* [http://archive.theboltonnews.co.uk/2000/12/13/702038.html Article in The Bolton News]